Threshold
by anuntoldstory
Summary: NOW RATED M. AU. Kate found herself standing face to face with Richard Castle. She had recognized him as soon as Lanie had introduced them a few minutes earlier in the club, when she laid her eyes on him for the very first time.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Thanks, Diana for the beta!_

_Disclaimer: Castle is not mine._

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**Threshold**_ /noun/ _

THE POINT JUST BEFORE A NEW SITUATION, PERIOD OF LIFE BEGINS

- Oxford Dictionary of English Language -

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**October 2001**

He shouldn't be here. He's a world famous writer. Well, maybe world famous was a bit of an exaggeration, but he was pretty well known - at least in New York. Someone was bound to recognize him, which meant that this whole trip would end up on page-six. Not that it would hurt his reputation. He was after all known for his playboy persona, for having a different bimbo on his arm every other week.

But this was different. It was one thing to explain to his seven-year old daughter that he went on all those dates for publicity reasons, to boost sales figures. As long as he spent time with her as often as he could and came home every night to tuck her in, she didn't mind. It was something entirely different, though, to have to explain to her that he spend his free time in clubs where bored husbands, or in his case single dads, paid woman to get naked.

"Seriously, dude. Stop looking like you're in a sauna with a bunch of fat, old guys. It's not attractive."

"Esposito, do we really have to go in there? You do know I have a daughter, don't you?"

"So do probably half the guys in there." Javier Esposito was a homicide detective at the 12th precinct. Richard Castle had met him and his partner Kevin Ryan while researching for his Derrick Storm Series. He had shadowed them occasionally on cases, had invited them over to his loft a couple of times to play video games after a particularly hard case. But as much as he loved working with them, he'd gotten tired of writing Derrick.

His main character had gotten old, his writing predictable. There were just no more surprises; it was as though he knew what was going to happen every moment of every scene. Even Gina, his agent, thought so. He had tried to rewrite the ending at least a dozen times, until he finally decided to just kill Derrick off, let him die in Clara Strike's arms. Gina, although not happy about his decision, told him it was probably for the best. Said it would give him the chance to start something new, something fresh. That had been two months ago.

"Oh, come on, bro." said Esposito, seeing the miserable look still plastered on Castle's face. "You need a little fun. Your crappy mood is getting old. Even your mom thinks so."

"You talked to my mother?"

"Yeah, man. She's the one who called me."

Castle knew it had been a bad idea to let her stay at the loft. Alexis, though, had been so excited at the prospect of her grams living with them that he hadn't been able to bring himself to just offer his mother to pay for a rental elsewhere.

"I'm pretty sure she didn't tell you to bring me to a strip club."

They had just entered through the door when he felt Esposito slapping him on the back of his head telling him to stop being such a wuss. Castle frowned at him before looking around. It had been a while since he had last set foot into a strip club. As far as he remembered, he had been a horny seventeen year old boy, with a fake ID and fake friends he didn't even remember the names of. This place, however, looked nothing like the run-down place he had visited twelve years ago. It had an elegant flair to it.

The room wasn't crowded but still fairly well occupied. Castle saw several men wearing business suits, cigar in one hand, a glass of whiskey in the other. They looked like they held some kind of business meeting. Castle wondered what company they worked for. Maybe they were working for a human trafficking ring trying to find a place to sell their girls. Not that the Valentino looked like a place that employed or, rather, exploited kidnapped girls from Romania or some other eastern country. No wonder he had trouble coming up with new ideas for his next novel. Even his conspiracy theories were lame.

"You coming, bro? I want you to meet someone."

Castle hadn't realized that he had stopped walking. His eyes were fixed on the stage. A petite Asian girl was currently sliding down a stripper pole while a girl on the other end of the stage, a redhead covered in tattoos, was about to lose her bra. His attention, however, was on the girl in the middle of the stage. Her blond hair was barely touching her shoulders and the heels she was wearing made her legs look endless. Still in her bra and panties she looked beautiful. Castle wished he could see her better, find out the colour of her eyes or…

"What is wrong with you?" Castle, startled by the sudden interruption of his thoughts, turned around to face Esposito. "First I have to drag you in here and now you can't take your eyes off those boobs?"

"I wasn't looking at her..." protested Castle, but stopped himself when he saw that Esposito was no longer standing next to him. Confused, he looked around until he finally spotted him sitting at the bar, waving at a barista that was serving one of the other guests. Castle took the seat next to him just as the barista came over to them. She was pretty, her dark skin a contrast to the deep pink dress she was wearing.

"Hey Javi!" she said beaming. Esposito leaned over the counter to plant a kiss on her cheek. "I didn't know you were coming today."

"What can I say, I just wanted to surprise my girl." He turned to Castle. "Castle, this is Lanie. Lanie, Richard Castle."

"So it is true! Javi told me that you've been following him around on some cases. I thought he was such messing with me." She seemed surprised. "It's so nice to meet your Richard."

"It's Rick." Castle offered. "Nice meeting you, too."

"I cannot believe my boyfriend is friends with Richard Castle!"

"I take it you are a fan then?"

"I wouldn't say that I'm a fan." Lanie said. "But I have a friend, who is. She has several of your books. Maybe I should start reading them one of these days."

"You should."

Lanie smiled. "Okay, I have to get back to work. Can I get you boys anything?"

"I'll take a beer."

"Same for me."

"I didn't know you have a girlfriend, Esposito." Castle said as soon as Lanie was out of earshot. "She seems nice."

"That's because you've been feeling sorry for yourself for the last couple of months. Not caring about anyone but yourself." Esposito said it casually, trying to brush it off as no big deal, but Castle still recognized the hurt in his voice. He felt bad; he knew he hadn't been a very good friend lately. He hadn't even been a very good father lately. What he needed was a new character, an interesting idea. Something that would get him out of this hole he had been in ever since he decided to kill off Derrick Storm.

"So, since when have the two of you been together?"

"Three weeks." Esposito seemed happy. Castle couldn't believe that one of his best friends, because that's what Esposito was to him, had started seeing someone without him noticing.

When Lanie came back with their drinks, Castle took a sip of his beer before turning around, giving them some privacy. His eyes wandered to the stage, looking for the blonde he had been so fascinated by just moments ago. He felt oddly disappointed when he only saw the Asian girl and a girl he hadn't seen before.

The redhead was at one of the tables, but the blonde was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was changing into another costume. Convinced that was the reason he couldn't see her anywhere, he fixed his gaze on the stage, patiently waiting for her return. When after a few minutes she still hadn't come back on stage he turned back around to take another sip of his drink. As he did so, he couldn't help but overhear a nearby conversation.

"You're already leaving?" Lanie was talking to a girl, who was leaning with her back against the counter on Lanie's side of the bar.

"It's my day off. I just came because Lara couldn't make it on time. But she's here now."

Castle couldn't see her face – only her long brunette hair that was falling in waves down her shoulders, and the black leather jacket she was wearing.

"Lucky you!" Lanie was cleaning a cocktail glass with a towel, pointing it at Esposito. "You remember Javier?"

The girl turned around giving Esposito a little wave with her hand. "Hey, yes. How are you?" Esposito gave her a thumbs up.

"And this is his friend, Richard Castle, the author."

The girl finally turned to Castle. It was only then that he realized that she was the dancer from before - the blonde one he couldn't take his eyes off of. She must have been wearing a wig. Although why, he didn't know. While the blonde hair had looked beautiful on her, her natural colour made her look breathtaking, somehow bringing out the colour of her eyes. They were brown, somewhere between amber and hazel. She reached out her hand, meeting Castle's in a warm handshake.

"Hi, I'm Kate."

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_I'd love to hear your thoughts._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kate stepped out into the dark night, a shiver running down her spine. The wind was blowing harshly, making her hair tangle up in front of her face. She tried to brush it away, tucking it behind her ears. When she had to accept that it wouldn't help, she took a hair band out of her pocket and tied her long hair into a tight ponytail at the top of her head. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was only 11pm. She wasn't tired, to used to being up until the morning hours when the club closed, that even on her days off she couldn't go to sleep before the sun started to rise.

She crossed the street already regretting her choice to wear a dress instead of a pair of jeans and a cosy sweater. Frustrated, she pulled on its hemline, trying to make it longer to cover up the goosebumps that were slowly spreading on her upper thighs. She was silently cursing herself for her lack of dressing skills when she heard someone calling out her name.

Turning around to see who it was, she found herself standing face to face with Richard Castle. She had recognized him as soon as Lanie had introduced them a few minutes earlier in the club, when she laid her eyes on him for the very first time.

There had been a few articles of him on page six – which she had seen, not read. Judging from the pictures, they were mostly articles covering his love life. Although, dating life was probably the more appropriate term. There was no way he could fall in and out of love as fast as he was changing girlfriends. It seemed like he had a different one every other week. Not that it was any of her business.

She wasn't really interested in him as a person at all. But she had started reading his books lately. She knew it wasn't high literature, but he had a way with words. A way that sucked her in, causing her to fly through the pages until she was at the end and then she'd reread the entire book, afraid to have missed something.

"Huh?" She was so lost in her thoughts - thoughts about him, she hadn't even realized that he had asked her something.

"I was just wondering if I could by you a drink." He repeated his previous question with a smile on his face. She wanted to say yes, not because it was Richard Castle but because she was so reluctant to go home to her lonely and cold apartment, where she was probably only going to curl up on her couch with a glass of wine, staring holes into the ceiling, trying to fall asleep.

"Why? So I can become another one of your conquests?"

"Or I can be one of yours."

That made her smile. She would never admit it to anyone, but he looked even more handsome in real life than he did on the dust jackets of his books.

"I'm sorry, Rick. But I really don't want to spend any more time at work than I have to." He furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what she meant. When he finally did, he was fast to clarify.

"Oh, no. I didn't mean that we had to go back to the, eh… Well, I was thinking that maybe we could go to a place that's a little more appropriate for a first date."

"A date?"

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She had no idea how she had ended up sitting opposite Richard Castle in a booth of a neat, little diner that he always went to with his cop friends - one of them being Javier, Lanie's boyfriend, and the other one someone called Ryan. Whether that was his first or his last name she didn't know. But since Rick seemed to refer to everyone by their last name, she guessed it was the latter.

She looked around. There was a couple sitting at one of the tables at the other end of the diner and an older looking police officer sitting at the bar. Other than that they were the only guests.

Kate was nervously fidgeting with the menu when the waitress came back with their drinks. She had wanted to order a coffee but Rick persuaded her to try the strawberry milkshake which he swore was the best in Manhattan.

"So, how does a girl like you end up working in a strip club?" Rick asked, as soon as the waitress had left their table.

"How does a guy like you end a going to a strip club?"

"Esposito dragged me there" he answered without missing a beat. Kate was surprised that he seemed so upset about it. She thought all men enjoyed going to clubs where they could gawk at boobs and naked butts. "He told me I was no fun since I killed off Derrick Storm."

"You killed off Derrick Storm?"

"Whoops, spoiler alert." He obviously hadn't meant to say it out loud. After a short pause he added "Don't tell anyone, though. My agent would kill me if she finds out that I told you."

"You killed off Derrick Storm?"

Kate was shocked. Why would he kill off his main character? She liked Derrick. He was fun and so very good at his job. He saw to it that the victims received the justice they deserved.

"Why, are you a fan?"

"No" answered Kate, probably a second too fast. "This milkshake really is delicious." She tried to change topics. As a bestselling author, his ego was probably big enough already. No need to feed it even more.

"I know, right. Alexis says the same thing." When he saw her confused look, he held up a finger, indicating for her to wait a second. He took out his wallet and showed her a picture of a young girl, smiling at the camera. Her hair was long and hung in a Dutch braid over her left shoulder. "She's my daughter."

Kate was surprised. She hadn't known that he had a daughter. She knew of an ex-wife, or was it two? But she had never heard about him having a daughter. Somehow, it made her begin to look at him in a very different light. He seemed so proud.

"She's pretty."

"She is. Inside and out." He then went on to explain that he'd divorced her mother when Alexis was only three. His ex-wife now lived in California, trying her success as an actress. Having sole custody of his daughter, Alexis lived with him and his mother, who, Kate learned, had all her money stolen by her latest ex-husband.

She was surprised that he spoke so openly about his life. After all, she was a stranger, a stripper he had met only an hour earlier. But she loved listening to him. He made her laugh. She even had to wipe a tear from her eyes because she had laughed so hard when he told her about the time he helped out on a case and got cursed by a mummy.

"Enough about me. Now, I want to hear about you. How about you answer the question I asked you earlier." Rick was twisting the straw of his now empty milkshake, looking curiously at her.

"What question?"

"How someone like you ends up working at a strip club. There's got to be a story."

"Nope. No, story." said Kate, shrugging her shoulders. "It's just a way to finance my college education."

"What are you majoring in?"

"Criminal justice." She looked up from her glass, seeing Rick's surprised look. "What?"

"Nothing. Just, criminal justice - that's unexpected."

"Unexpected? And why is that?

"I don't know. I would have figured you to be the kind of girl to major in literature or some foreign language."

Kate didn't know whether to be impressed or bewildered. She had indeed thought about studying Russian literature. That was back when she was sixteen and had basically devoured books by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Bulgakov, impressed not only by their story telling but also by their writing style. She still loved Russian literature, her current read being a short story collection by Nikolai Gogol but she knew it was never her destiny to become a literature major.

"No, not literature. I did start studying pre-law in Stanford, though. Well, before I transferred to NYU."

"Pre-law? Why did you quit?"

"It just wasn't my cup of tea." She tried to brush him off, not wanting to tell him the real reason. Only a few people knew and she wanted to keep it that way. "What about you? What did you major in?"

Rick told her about his time at college; about his first steps as a writer. He told her about the many rejection letters he got before finally being accepted and published by Black Pawn. Kate, who had only read the books in the Derrick Storm series made a mental note to check out "In a Hail of Bullets" at the library. If it was any good she might even buy it at the independent book store around the corner from her apartment.

It was a couple of hours later when Kate finally needed to head home. Rick waved at the waitress and paid for both of them, ignoring Kate's protests. He helped her into her jacket before he grabbed his own and followed her out of the diner. Kate was trying to decide whether to walk or take the subway when she saw that Rick had stopped a taxi.

"Mind if we share one?" Kate shrugged her shoulders, already crawling into the backseat of the car. Rick followed her as soon as she had buckled up. She told the driver her address and relaxed into the seat. It was still freezing outside, and she was glad to feel the warmth of the car. They got to her apartment faster than she would have thought. She was still trying to put her heels back on when Rick opened the door on her side of the car. He helped her out and paid the driver, before following her to her apartment building.

They took the elevator, driving up in silence. A few seconds later the elevator dinged, indicating that they had arrived on her floor. They got off, both standing awkwardly in front of her door.

"So, I guess this is it."

Kate nodded. She didn't want the evening to end. It had been a long time, since she'd had so much fun. But it was late and he had a daughter.

"Can I see you again?" It was then that she knew that she didn't want to let him go. She took a step forward, standing eye-level with him thanks to her four inch heels. She touched the lapel of his jacket drawing him closer before finally crushing her lips to his in a slow kiss.

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_Thanks again to Diana for the beta and thank you all so much for the Reviews and follows. _

_I'd love to hear your thoughts._


	3. Chapter 3

**This story is now rated M.** **I hope you guys are okay with it.**

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Castle was stunned. He hadn't expected her to kiss him. He hadn't even expected her to want to see him again, although he had hoped she would - so very much. Running his hands through her hair, cupping her head with his palms, he deepened the kiss. He traced the outline of her lips with his tongue, encouraging her to open her mouth to let him in. She did and let out a moan. Kate nibbled on his lower lip, before letting go.

"You want to come in?" She took his hand, entwining their fingers. He followed her into her apartment. It was cold and small. The kitchen was the same room as her living area. Her couch seemed to serve as a bed, the bedding still lying on top of it. He looked at Kate who was staring back at him, seeming self-conscious.

"It's not much," she said apologetically, brushing her hair back with her fingers. "I don't spend much time here."

"It's perfect." She was perfect. The moment he saw her for the first time up on the stage, he knew he had to get to know her. He wanted to know what made her become a dancer in a strip club, why she chose to wear a wig when she was so beautiful already. He wanted to know her story; he knew there had to be a story. She'd said earlier that there wasn't, but when he'd asked her why she quit pre-law and she brushed him off he knew there was a reason behind all of it. He saw it by the way she suddenly tried to avoid eye contact - by how she had her eyes fixed on her glass or on the wall behind him, anything but him.

"Do you want something to drink? I have water, I think I can find some wine, too."

"Water is fine." Kate walked to the fridge, taking out the bottle of water. She got a couple of glasses from the cupboard and filled them up. Castle went up to her, laying his hands on her hips from behind, pressing his own hips against her body. She jumped, shocked by the sudden touch and stiffened under his hands.

"Hey, no need to be nervous." He trailed kisses down her neck, trying to loosen her up. It took a moment before she relaxed into him.

"Not nervous." She took off her shoes, pulling them off with her feet as she turned around to face Castle. She was now almost a head smaller than him, and had to lift her head to look him in the eyes.

Mesmerized by her beauty, he hoisted her up on the counter, taking off her jacket. He threw it behind him on the kitchen table but missed and the jacket fell in a puddle to the floor. Kate let out a breathy laugh, before turning her attention back to Castle. He covered the side of her neck with open-mouthed kisses, enjoying the feel of her skin under his touch. Goosebumps were forming on her arms. Whether it was from the cold or from arousal, he didn't know. He hoped it was the latter.

The glass of water long forgotten, he opened the zipper of her dress, trying unsuccessfully to take it off. She lifted herself up on her hands, wanting to help him; her lips were still attached to his not wanting to let go. When he finally pulled the dress up over her head, he threw it on top of her jacket that was already lying on the floor. He took in the sight of her. She was wearing different underwear than she had back at the club, this one a deep purple colour, embroidered with lace.

He wanted her.

Touching her legs, he guided them around his back. He lifted her up and carried her to the couch. Laying her on the linen, Castle east himself slowly on top of her. Not wanting to crush her, he shifted his weight on his arms, putting them on either side of her head. He lowered himself to meet her lips. First, only in a barely there touch. But when he felt Kate tugging at his button-down, trying to free it from his jeans, he forced his tongue between her lips. Still with her legs wrapped around his torso, she bucked her hips, aroused from the sudden force of his kiss. Aware of her struggle with the buttons of his shirt, he stood up and took it off, never taking his eyes of her. His jeans and boxers followed next. He was now standing completely naked in front of her. Kate, who was still sprawled out on the couch followed his example, slowly taking off her panties and finally her bra.

He crawled back on top of her, licking his way down her body, feeling the warmth that was spreading on her upper thighs. He positioned himself in front of her entrance, joining them with one quick stroke. They moved in unison, slowly at first, but then more and more frenziedly until they had no longer control over their bodies. Castle saw the tension building in her eyes, her mouth gasping open in a silent cry. Her breathing was getting heavier with every stroke. Castle sat up, meeting her with a few quick thrusts, the different angle being all Kate needed. Feeling her climax around him, he thrust himself in her for one last time before he joined her.

After he had caught his breath he lay down next to her, putting his arm around her hips, begging her to come closer. She met his lips in a sloppy kiss.

"That was amazing."

Kate's face lit up, breaking into a wide grin, agreeing with him without having to say a word. He had never met a more breathtaking sight; he had never felt more alive.

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Castle woke with a start, confused as to where he was. It took him a moment to remember what had happened the night before; when he did, a smile crept on his face. He remembered in vivid detail the feel of her skin under his fingertips, running his hands over her naked body when she fell apart in his arms as they both came together, as if it had been only moments ago.

He lifted himself up, using his elbows as leverage. Kate was lying on her stomach, her hair sprawled out over the pillow, still in a deep slumber. She looked so young. Careful not to wake her, he looked for his jeans, pulling out his cell phone to look for the time.

6:25. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. He had to get going. Alexis would be up in the next twenty minutes, roaming around the kitchen, looking for her dad and her breakfast.

Hoping not to disturb Kate in her sleep, he untangled himself from the sheets. He gathered up his clothes and dressed as quickly and as quietly as he could. As soon as he was dressed he was at a loss, not knowing what to do. Should he wake her? Tell her that he had to go? She looked so peaceful; he didn't want to disrupt her sleep.

It was then that he had an idea. He looked around the room, finally finding what he was looking for on the kitchen counter next to the salt and pepper shakers. He ripped a piece of paper from the block and started writing. Satisfied, he put his note on top of the couch table, where she would find it as soon as she woke up. He leaned over brushing a strand of hair from her face and touched his lips softly to her forehead.

Careful as not to make a sound, he stood up and walked to the door. With a last glance at her he silently closed the door behind him.

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_Kate –_

_I had to go home. My daughter is waiting for me._

_You looked so peaceful; I didn't dare to wake you up._

_Yesterday was amazing. I want to see you again._

_- Call me, Rick_

At the bottom he had scribbled his phone number.

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**AN: Thanks again to Diana for the beta. And thank you so much for all the follows, favorites and reviews. I appreciate every single one of them.**


	4. Chapter 4

Kate rolled to her side hiding her face in her pillow, trying to make the spouts of sunlights that were tickling her skin disappear. She stretched out her left arm, feeling around and finding that the space next to her had long since gone cold. Still a long way from being awake, she opened her eyes. She scanned the room, raising her upper body to get a better view and soon realized that she was alone, that Rick had left. Kate was surprised by the disappointment she was feeling.

Groaning, she pressed the palm of her hand to her eyes, trying to suppress the tears that were starting to form, desperate to be released. What was wrong with her? They had a one-night-stand; of course he wouldn't stay the night. She should be happy; he'd saved her the awkwardness of the morning after.

Cursing herself for her own stupidity, she tossed the blanket off her body. It landed on the coffee table, before sliding down to the ground. Not in the mood to care, she left it there and made her way to the coffee machine, hoping a strong cup of coffee would somehow do wonders and help her wake up properly. Stumbling over one of her heels, she hit her knee on the kitchen table, making her cry out loud in the process.

She should probably make two cups.

* * *

As soon as she had drained her coffee and was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, she made her way to the fridge, red pen in hand. Kate looked at the calendar that was held up by a magnet, a matryoshka she had bought years earlier while on vacation with her parents in Russia. She smiled, remembering the week they had spent in St. Petersburg, visiting the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, shopping with her mom, drinking vodka for the very first time. Her smile disappeared when she remembered the reason she was holding the pen. She furrowed her eyes and crossed off yesterday's date. Only 226 days left. She could do it.

Kate capped the pen and threw it on the counter. She opened the fridge and took out an apple, the only edible thing she could find in there. She made a mental note to go grocery shopping later that day. Sitting on the table, eating her apple, she thought about what to do next when she heard a buzzing sound. Lifting herself up, she pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket, checking Caller ID before answering the phone.

"Lanie. What's up?"

"Hey, girlfriend. When do you have to be at the club today?"

"10pm." Kate took a last bite from her apple before throwing the waste in the garbage can.

"So, you don't have anything to do right now?"

"No."

"Okay, awesome. I'll pick you up in an hour. We're going dress shopping. Javier invited me to his cousin's wedding."

"You want to go shopping on a Sunday?"

"Of course on a Sunday. During the week you're either at university or at the Club and I don't want to wait until Saturday. So, just be ready in an hour, okay?"

Before she could say anything else, Lanie had hung up. Kate looked at her phone, perplexed, before putting it back.

Spilling the two glasses of water in the sink that neither Rick nor she had touched the night before, she refilled one with fresh water and took a sip.

Shopping with Lanie was probably a good idea, gave her something to do. And it had been a while since she had last seen her best friend outside of work. This would be their chance to finally catch up.

They had met two years earlier, just a few months after her mom's death. It had been May, and they had both worked at a small café in Brooklyn. It was owned by an older couple that had immigrated to the States in their early thirties. They were employers one could only wish for, and both Lanie and Kate had enjoyed working for them. But the salary was low, just barely enough to pay rent and food.

A friend of Lanie's had told them about a job offering as a barista at the _Valentino_. Lanie applied for the job and got it almost right away. Kate, still twenty at that time, was told she was too young. Five month later, the day after her 21st birthday, she went back but they were no longer looking for baristas. They were, however, looking for a dancer. Kate, who had taken dancing lessons when she was a teenager, was reluctant, not wanting to get naked in front of strangers. But when she learned that as a stripper she would be paid a whole lot more than as a barista she took the job without a second thought.

Because she needed money – desperately. When she moved back to New York she took the cheapest apartment available. Now, three summers later she was desperate to move to a bigger place - preferably one with an extra bedroom. She was sick of sleeping on a couch.

Still daydreaming of a bed that was not mere meters away from the kitchen counter, Kate made her way to the couch, where she picked up the blanket that had fallen to the ground when she arose earlier. She folded it neatly to a square and put it back on top of the couch. Already turning around to go back to the kitchen, she spotted a piece of paper lying under the couch table. She bent over to pick it up and throw it in the garbage can when she noticed the handwriting on the other side.

Kate read the message twice before she finally broke into a huge smile, which she tried to hide behind her hand as soon as she noticed it. So he hadn't thought of it as a one-night stand after all. Richard freaking Castle really wanted to meet her again.

She grabbed her phone and saved his number, telling herself she would call him when she got back from her shopping trip with Lanie. That would give her enough time to think of something to tell him and to come up with the courage to make the call in the first place.

* * *

Lanie had picked her up shortly before 12 pm. It was now 5:45 pm, a whole mall, and seven or eight boutiques later. Kate had lost count after she could finally convince her friend to take a short break for a quick lunch. For some reason Lanie had taken it into her head to find the perfect dress.

Kate had tried to explain to her that as long as she wasn't the bride nobody would care what she was wearing. As long as it covered her boobs and butt, and she didn't look like a scarecrow, she'd be fine. Lanie wasn't listening, though, telling Kate that she wanted to look beautiful for Javi, not for the guests, not even for the bride.

Frustrated, Kate sat down on the sofa in front of the changing room, glad she hadn't chosen to wear high heels. She didn't think that she would have been able to stand on stage in her four-inch heels after spending her day following Lanie from store to store.

Waiting for her friend to show herself in dress number 47 or so, her mind wandered back to the previous night.

Her giddiness over Castle's note had disappeared during the course of the day and was now replaced by a nervousness she couldn't explain. What was she going to say when she called him? And what were they now? Friends, Lovers, in a relationship? Wait, what? No, no, no. She was in no place to be in a relationship right now. At least not in a serious one and he had a daughter, which meant responsibility. And that, on the other hand, meant being in a relationship with her would be the worst decision he could make. After all he was a single dad, with a striving career, whereas she was a not even twenty-two year old, with an occupation that was despised by most people – at least by the wives of the guys she was stripping for.

And why was she even thinking about relationships? They had slept together once and the note said he wanted to see her again. That could mean pretty much anything. Maybe he really did just want to be friends.

As if Lanie had read her mind, she poked her head out of the changing room.

"I've been meaning to ask you, whatever happened to Rick? He ran out of the club trying to catch up with you. Did he make it?"

Kate sat up straighter, trying to decide what to tell her friend.

"Oh my gosh, he did!" squealed Lanie in excitement. "What did you guys do?"

Kate let out a breath before telling her what had happened. "We slept together but by morning he was gone."

"I'm sorry, sweety."

"Though he left a note." Kate added.

"Well, what did it say?"

"That he wants to see me again."

"That's good though, isn't it?

Kate just shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. I mean, I guess it is."

Kate usually talked to Lanie about everything, but she found that she just wanted to be sure herself before talking to her friend about Rick. Trying to change topics, she asked Lanie about the dress.

"Just a sec." Lanie slipped her head back into the dressing room, taking a moment before coming out. She was wearing a simple rose coloured dress that ended a couple of inches above her knees. It showed cleavage, but not enough to be considered inappropriate.

"Oh, Lanie." Kate stood up, taking a step closer to her friend. "It's beautiful, you look gorgeous.

"You think so?" Oh, wow. Self-conscious Lanie – that was a first.

"Of course I do. Just look at you!"

Lanie broke into a smile, pleased about the compliment. She swirled around in front of the mirror before letting out a squeal.

"You better not get anywhere near the bride, though. She's going to rip your head off if she sees that you look more beautiful than she does." After a short pause Kate added. "Javier is one lucky guy."

Lanie smiled before suddenly becoming serious, stretching out her arms to take Kate's hands in hers.

"I can't wait for you to find a guy who makes you as happy as he does me."

* * *

**AN: Thank you Diana for the beta. **

**Oh wow, there's quite a number of people following this story. That makes me very, very happy. Thank you!  
****And as always - I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Castle opened the door, still out of breath from running the whole way from Kate's apartment to his loft. He had considered taking a taxi but neither having seen one nearby nor wanting to wait for a subway to come, he decided to walk - or rather sprint.

He made it in less than twenty minutes. Alexis' alarm should have gone off four minutes ago. If he had any luck, she was once like every other nine-year old and had rolled over choosing to ignore the sound that was usually despised.

Not even having entered the loft properly, Castle was greeted by his daughter's smiling face.

"Hi Dad, where have you been?" Dressed in pyjamas, she was standing in front of the open fridge, a bottle of milk in her hand. Of course Alexis was no longer in bed. He should have known better.

"I, eh…"

Never having done the walk of shame in front of his daughter before, he cursed himself for not thinking of an excuse on his way over. He wracked his brain trying to come up with a plausible answer. This shouldn't be so hard, but it was early and he wasn't a morning person.

It didn't help that he hated lying to Alexis, but there was no way he was going to tell her the truth – that he spent the night with a girl he had only met a few hours before deciding to jump into bed with her.

Still in an attempt to catch his breath, he joined his daughter in the kitchen and planted a kiss on her forehead to buy himself some time. Finally, he said the only thing that came to his mind.

"I just went downstairs to get the newspaper."

"Did you take the stairs?" Well, that was one explanation why he was panting like he'd just run a marathon.

"I did." He shed his jacket on the couch and went to the fridge to get the pancake batter. "Thought it'd be a good exercise."

Alexis sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen counter, filling up two glasses with milk.

"Where's the newspaper?" Oh, he should have thought of that. This just proved once again that he was the worst liar. Back in the day, his mother used to poke fun at him whenever she caught him in a lie, saying that it was pure irony that a boy with his imagination always blanked as soon as he found himself in a situation like this.

Turning on the stove, Castle once again tried to think of a reasonable explanation. He took a pan from the cupboard and filled it with the pancake batter.

"Wasn't there, yet." he said, trying to shrug it off while at the same time hoping she wouldn't question his answer. "So, you're ready for the big test today?"

With Alexis there was no better way to change topics than by bringing up school. Sometimes he seriously questioned how he had ended up with a daughter like her. She was not only smart and ambitious but also extremely responsible. Castle had not the slightest idea from whom she had inherited the latter – certainly not from him or his mother. And he knew for sure she didn't have it from her mom, who was the most irresponsible person he knew.

It had taken her a week to congratulate Alexis when she turned nine. And even then she just called to say that she had been so busy she forgot all about it, rambling on about her jammed work schedule and the director she currently had to put up with but had said nothing that came even remotely close to being an apology. Alexis didn't seem to mind half as much as Castle did.

While Alexis had accepted a long time ago that Meredith was more the crazy aunt than the caring mom she was supposed to be, Castle still hoped for his ex-wife to realize how blessed she was to have a daughter like Alexis. He knew Meredith loved her, she just had a really crappy way of showing it.

"I don't know. I think I should have learned some more." It took Castle a moment to remember what they'd talked about.

"Oh come on. You've learned enough. You had your nose stuck in your history book the entire week."

It sounded like an exaggeration but wasn't. Every time he had seen her she either had her history book with her or was standing in front of the mirror reciting facts she apparently had to know for the test.

Sometimes he wondered if he'd made a mistake when he decided to keep her home as a three year old instead of sending her to pre-school. He had the feeling he robbed her of the ability to have a social life. She had made friends in school, he knew that much from the stories she told him at the dinner table, but she never met any of them after school and was rarely invited to birthday parties, preferring to stay home with him and her grandma.

"But maybe it wasn't enough."

"Trust me, it was." He handed her the plate with the pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup. Grabbing a plate for himself, he then sat down next to her. "Now, stop worrying and eat your breakfast."

* * *

Castle walked his daughter to school, wanting to spend some time with her before he had to go back to his empty loft. If he had any luck he'd even miss his mother's walk of shame. He swore that woman had a more active sex life than he had. The thought alone made him shudder.

"So, the battle of Waterloo took place on November 18th, 1815." After a short pause she added. "Oh by the way, Waterloo is a province in the Netherlands; at least it was back then. Now it's a part of Belgium."

Alexis had talked the whole way to school about her history test and had counted off all the dates and events she had to know about, here and there throwing in some trivia Castle was sure she had looked up on the internet to get some extra points. He was impressed. Some of these facts he didn't even know about.

She was just telling him about how Napoleon Bonaparte had lost the battle of Waterloo when they arrived at the gate of her school. He leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead wishing her good luck for the test and waiting for a moment to make sure Alexis had safely entered the building.

Just before she walked through the door of the school she turned around for one last time, waving at him. He waved back, an encouraging smile on his face, before he too turned around and finally went home.

* * *

Castle had taken his time walking back to the loft. He knew he should start brainstorming ideas for a new novel instead of thinking about everything but writing. And it wasn't like he couldn't think of anything to write about. In fact, he had so many ideas he had a hard time keeping count of them, but not one of them seemed to interest him enough to fill a whole novel. The fact that Gina wanted him to write another book series wasn't helping. He felt pressured; not only by Gina but also by his mother, his fans, and even Alexis who kept asking him why he no longer spent any time in his office. It wasn't like he had never been affected by writers block before but for the first time in his life he seriously questioned his abilities as a writer.

The fact that he had met Kate yesterday wasn't helping either. Every time he tried to think of an idea, his mind wandered back to their night and the evening they enjoyed together. Her eyes, her smile, they way she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear to buy herself time to come up with an answer to one of his questions – everything about her mesmerized him in a way he couldn't remember having felt before.

Castle had just entered the loft and put his jacket on a hanger when he heard his phone go off. Expecting it to be Kate, he grabbed it from his pocket and answered without looking at the Caller ID.

"Hi." he said a little out of breath.

"Richard, I really need that chapter, now."

Disappointed was a too fine word to describe the way he was feeling. He should have looked at the display before answering. Gina was the last person he wanted to talk to right now.

For a moment he even considered just hanging up on her. But he knew better. She would try again and again until she was so fed up with him that she just showed up on his doorstep, lecturing in on his immaturity and his lack of reliability.

"Yeah, about that…" he started. "I still need some time to edit it."

He knew he had to tell her about his writer's block eventually but for the moment he thought it was best to wait for a day she was a little less upset and a little more understanding.

"Richard, the first chapter was due three weeks ago."

"Well, you can't rush genius."

"Genius?" Now she sounded seriously pissed. "Try blockage. I heard you haven't written in weeks."

"That's ridiculous." _Shit_, who had told her? Probably his mother, it had to have been his mother.

"My sources are very reliable."

"Well, they're wrong."

"They'd better be. If I don't have at least the first three chapters on my desk in the next two weeks, black Pawn is prepared to demand the return of your advance."

"Fine." He hung up without saying good-bye.

Frustrated, he walked to his office. For a moment he just stood there, in the middle of the room, staring at the closed laptop that he hadn't turned on for days. He really did have to come up with a new idea, though. Not that he cared that much about the stupid advance; he had enough money already, it wouldn't matter if he kept it or not. But he was a writer and a writer who didn't write was… well, nothing.

He sat down in his chair, turned on the laptop, and fixed his eyes on the blank document that was staring back at him. He tried to think of something - a name, a first sentence, a location where his story could take place but his mind was as blank as the document before him.

It didn't take long before he once again found himself lingering in thoughts of Kate. He had checked his phone every couple of minutes on his way back to the loft hoping for a call or at least a message. So far, he had no such luck.

He hoped she didn't think of him as a one-night stand. He wanted to meet her again.

His eyes wandered to the time on his laptop. It was still early. He tried to tell himself that the reason he hadn't heard from her was because she was still asleep and hadn't seen the note he had left her.

Usually a late riser, Castle was surprised that after only four hours of sleep he wasn't the least bit tired. In fact, he felt surprisingly awake. The adrenaline from his late night activities was still buzzing through his veins.

Castle had had his share of sexual encounters with women, but not one of them had affected him the way Kate had. Maybe it was because even after hours of talking about their lives she was a still mystery to him. Kate had told him she was born and raised in New York. But there was no trace of the boroughs when she talked. So that meant Manhattan. That meant money. She had also told him about studying pre law in Stanford before transferring to NYU to major in Criminal Justice. She had a lot of options, more socially acceptable options. But she still chose being a stripper. Why?

There were so many questions he had, so many answers he wanted.

Without even realizing it, he had started to write. It was just a name really, two words that contrasted strongly with the white background. He read the name out loud, letting the sound of it roll of his tongue. Only then did he realize what had happened.

He had found his new main character.

_Nikki Heat_.

* * *

**AN: First of all, thanks to Diana for the beta. **

**Secondly, thanks to all of you who followed, favorited, and reviewed.** **The response to the last chapter blew me away. ;) **

**Please let me know if you have any suggestions. I'll try my best to work it into the story.**

**You can also follow me on tumblr. I'm **_**it-would-have-been-great. I'd love to get to know you! **_


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